We Are Nine
by FlyAwayDreamCatcher
Summary: A nagging thought brings Naruto to a decision that will change the fate of the the Jinchuuriki, the Bijuu and the Ninja World. {It never occurred to him that such a small idea would lead to him to the closest thing to family he would ever have.} Jinchuuriki(andBijuu)Family!Fic
1. The Results of Peculiar Revelations

**A.N. Hello! Before we get started I'm writing this (long) author's note to explain a few things.**

**First of all, hi, Naruto fandom! This is my first voyage into Naruto fanfiction. I got into it early in the year and began writing this a few months ago (June, I think). So far it's about 16,000 word long, this being the first chapter. I will be publishing the next chapters soon, chapt. 2 possibly tomorrow - after I proof-read it one last time. I hope you guys like it.**

**Second of all, I apologize greatly for any mistakes in the Japanese, especially the honorifics. Since I'm so inexperienced at it, the jutsus, etc will be written in the translated English from the dubbed anime/translated manga because I find that easier. I am sorry if any of you guys don't like that, but I feel a bit more comfortable with it. In regards to the honorifics (and any other Japanese I put in), if I make any mistakes could you guys please tell me (and maybe explain where I went wrong?) so I can correct myself and learn a bit more. Thank you so much in advance!**

**Thirdly, I'm a bit worried about OOC-ness (like I always am) so if any of the characters feel OOC please do tell me you think so, so I can try and correct it and get them more in-character. I really want to try and portray them as authentically as possible so the story is better, you guys enjoy it more and because I love the characters so much.**

**Before I continue I would like to recommend "The Shori" by OperaGhost11235. It's also a 'Jinchuuriki get-together' story and is very good. It was a large inspiration for me to start ****_this _****story, because I'd been toying with the idea of writing a Jichuuriki fanfic so I searched for some and found "The Shori". It's in my favourites so go check it out.**

**Lastly (I promise this is the final thing), the plot of this story and any pairings within it. Okay. So the premise is basically all the Jinchuuriki and Bijuu teaming up and becoming badass as hell. Badassery is not the only thing that will happen though. The Jinchuuriki are eventually going to develop a family-like bond and become very close, so in that aspect you could call it a JinchuurikiFamily!fic. It's gonna be great (hopefully). About pairings. There will be no inter-Jinchuuriki relationships because, as I mentioned, they'll be like a family. Eventually (pairings will not be a massive part of the story, especially at the beginning) there will probably be NaruHina (this is definite, as it is one of my otps), SakuSasu, TemaShika, NejiTen and a few others. I'm not sure about the other Jinchuuriki, as I said romance is ****_not _****a huge part of the story so any pairings will be pretty light and far in the future. **

**Okay, now that's over, you can finally get on with the story. Enjoy the first chapter of We Are Nine and please leave a review!**

**FlyAway**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1. <strong>

**The Results of Peculiar Revelations**

The burnt orange sky began to fade to a deep blue as the tip of the day-heavy sun gradually sunk below the horizon. Moths flitted around the streetlights in lazy packs, casting clusters of small shadows on the pavement. Below them, a young blond-haired boy kicked at a small stone, hands deep in his pockets, gait slow. The rock skittered down the street before tumbling through a drain cover a little ways away. The boy came to an stop and sat down heavily on a nearby bench. He glanced at the sky. Woah, he'd really lost track of time - when had it turned dark?

He sighed and cast his eyes to the ground.

_Huge, towering above the treetops. Small, beady black and yellow eyes laughing with an insane cruelty. Sandy hide and dark curling markings. One, long, trunk-like tail whipping through the air, sending enormous trees crashing to the ground with ease._

Shukaku. That was the thing's name, wasn't it? The demon tanuki.

It had been quite a while since his fight with Gaara, including another visit (well, kind of, more like a rescue - the boy had saved his and his friends' asses) from the Suna-nin, but recently Naruto just could not get the demon out of his mind.

He wondered, did Shukaku have any kind of connection to the Kyūbi? A one-tailed tanuki and a nine-tailed fox. Huh. He could ask the damn fox, he supposed, but the idea didn't particularly appeal. And besides, the likelihood was that the stupid furball wouldn't help anyway - he wasn't exactly what one would call 'forthcoming'.

He could ask someone else - maybe Ero-sennin or Kakashi-sensei - but it was also likely that they either wouldn't know or would be suspicious that Naruto, the Kyūbi's jailer, was asking around after the demon and if it had any relatives, considering he'd never shown any interest in the fox or Gaara's demon before.

There was the library. The idea was unpleasant but, he reluctantly admitted, might possibly be his best bet. That was if they any information on the Kyūbi and other demons at all - it was possible any books they had on the subject had been removed to prevent any snooping after the fox had been sealed within Naruto. But he wouldn't know until he tried. Oh man, he was going to have to go into the _library._ That would probably raise some eyebrows anyway: the library wasn't really a place Naruto Uzumaki frequented.

Sleep began to itch at his eyes, demanding he get up and return to his apartment. Obeying, Naruto stood up and stretched, plan set in his mind for tomorrow.

_-W-A-N-_

Ever true to his word, the next day Naruto woke (relatively, it was one of his days off after all) early and ventured off to the library. The place was musty and smelt funky and the only sound was the occasional turning of a page. There were already a few people inside the place, most of which were sitting silently at the little tables between the shelves. Naruto entered as quietly as he could and looked around cautiously. The whole place was weird; it was so _quiet_. The Librarian at the desk sent him a piercing glare, then pursed her lips and looked back at her log book. He glanced around awkwardly and shuffled his feet, before hurrying as softly as he could (which, granted, may not have been all that softly at all) towards the section he was looking for.

Unfortunately, after searching the section up and down Naruto found no book on demons or anything of the like. He scowled at the bookcase in frustration and stalked up the aisle, scanning the books for anything that may help him. Coming to a stop, an old, thin book with a brightly coloured red spine caught his eye and he leant forward to investigate it.

_Bijū - the Tailed Beasts._

The title was blocked out in a thick black font. Other than the slightly unpleasant colour scheme and slimness of the volume, the book seemed rather unassuming. _Tailed Beasts, _stood out to Naruto however. Nine-tails. One-tail. Maybe...? It was worth a shot. He pulled the book from the shelf and sat down at a nearby table, flipping it open to the first page.

_The Bijū, also known as Tailed Beasts or Chakra Monsters, are nine demons with enormous chakra reserves. As their name suggests, these beasts each have a different amount of tails, from one tail to nine. It is said that the Bijū's power goes up by tails, thus making the ones with more tails more powerful than their lesser-tailed brethren. In order they are the Ichibi, the Nibi, the Sanbi, the Yonbi, the Gobi, the Rokubi, the Nanabi, the Hachibi and the Kyūbi._

Naruto paused. There. The Kyūbi. So he _was_ on the right track! There were nine of them? Nine like the Kyūbi. If the Kyūbi was the Nine-Tails, then maybe Shukaku, who had only one tail as far as he'd seen, was the Ichibi? He flicked through a couple of pages until he came to a one entitled _The Ichibi _and scanned the first paragraph.

_The Ichibi, also known as the Shukaku, is the one-tailed demon tanuki of sand. The Ichibi is currently owned by Sunagakure and has had two Jinchūriki._

Jinchūriki? Naruto stored the term in his memory. Aha! So he had been right! Shukaku _was_ the Ichibi and _did _have a connection to the Kyūbi. '_Tanuki of sand' _was definitely right. He and Gaara really were the same. He turned to the next page.

_The Nibi, sometimes called the Bakeneko, is the two-tailed monster cat of fire. The Nibi is currently owned by Kumogakure, alongside the Hachibi, and is thought to have had multiple Jinchūriki._

Kumo. There were two more in Kumo. The Nibi and the Hachibi. There was that term again, Jinchūriki. He skimmed through the next few pages.

_The Sanbi is the giant three-tailed turtle. The Sanbi is currently owned by Kirigakure, like the Rokubi, and has had an unspecified number of Jinchūriki._

_The Yonbi is the four-tailed King of the Sage Monkeys. The Yonbi is currently owned by Iwagakure, alongside the Gobi, and is believed to have had numerous Jinchūriki._

_The Gobi is the five-tailed dolphin-horse. The Gobi is currently owned by Iwagakure, like the Yonbi, and has had an unknown number of Jinchūriki._

_The Rokubi is the six-tailed monster slug. The Rokubi is currently owned by Kirigakure, alongside the Sanbi, and is thought to have had a small number of Jinchūriki._

_The Nanabi is the seven-tailed rhinoceros beetle. The Nanabi is currently owned by Takigakure and is the only Bijū not owned by one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. It is unknown how many Jinchūriki the Nanabi has had._

_The Hachibi is the eight-tailed octopus-ox. The Hachibi is currently owned by Kumogakure, like the Nibi, and is known to have had multiple Jinchūriki._

_The Kyūbi is the nine-tailed fox. The Kyūbi is owned by Konohagakure and has few Jinchūriki._

Naruto stared. How had he not know about this? There were _nine _Tailed Beasts, one of which was sealed inside him. He leant back in his chair. It was just so much to take in. How many others were there like him and Gaara? Was every Bijū sealed inside a person? What _was_ a Jinchūriki? He had a hunch, but he just needed to check... He flipped through the pages until he found the one he was looking for.

_Jinchūriki - The Power of Human Sacrifice_

_Jinchūriki is the term for a person who has a Bijū sealed inside them, and are normally individuals close to the Kage or leader of their respective village, such as a family member. Successful Jinchūriki are normally granted special abilities due to the presence of the Beasts, including massive chakra reserves, thus making them powerful shinobi. A 'failed' Jinchūriki is one who was not able to control their Tailed Beast and let it out, most commonly resulting the Jinchūriki's death and the Bijū's rampage._

Jinchūriki. His hunch had been right, _that's _what a Jinchūriki was. Naruto exhaled slowly. If there were nine Bijū, then there were most likely nine Jinchūriki. Nine people like him and Gaara.

**"Brat."**

Naruto blinked. The world around him seemed to spin, before he landed, rather uncomfortably, in an unpleasantly familiar sewer. Water sloshed around his feet, pipes lined the walls and a enormous cage loomed in front and above him.

"Kyūbi."

The fox's gigantic form prowled behind the bars, orange fur gleaming in the gloom. The colossal beast lowered his head and stared down at his jailer with disdain.

**"So you finally decided to find out more about your prisoner."**

Naruto met the kitsune's gaze evenly.

"Yeah, and I've found out a whole lot about you."

The fox growled menacingly.

**"You know ****_nothing _****of me, Brat! Don't think that just because you read a measly mortal book you can even ****_begin _****to understand ****_me_****!" **

Naruto frowned.

"I never said I knew you, Furball." He said, pointing an accusing finger at the Nine-Tails. "But if there are others like me and Gaara, I want to help them - or, if they don't need help, at least meet them. We're connected, in a way, after all."

The fox bared his teeth. His stupid little host was so... odd, to say the least. Neither of his previous vessels had shown any interest in his siblings, or even their fellow Jinchūriki. But odd or not, he was still a human, and a bratty one at that. Perhaps he could throw the kid a metaphorical bone, however. It would all be in the fox's interest, after all.

**"Brat?"**

Naruto raised his eyebrows at the Bijū.

"Yeah?"

**"Those red and black-robed missing-nin, the Uchiha and that Kiri Swordsman..."**

"What about them?" The Kyūbi's sudden mention of the two confused Naruto; where the heck was this coming from?

**"They were after me. The reason they attacked you was because they were trying to get me. I don't know why, but they were aiming to capture you so that they could extract me, no doubt so they could use me for some power-hungry human plot."**

Naruto stared at the giant fox blankly.

"Is there a reason you're telling me this or...?"

**"****_Insolent Brat_****!" **the Kyūbi snapped, anger flaring. **"They will almost certainly attempt to do so again at some point, most likely with a larger attack force, considering they failed the last time due to that ridiculous sage's interference. When they do, where do you think they will strike first?"**

Naruto's eyebrows scrunched together, before horrified realisation dawned on him. "Konoha..."

The fox snorted derisively. **"Exactly. There is a high possibility that the village will be destroyed, a larger number of shinobi of that calibre is no joke. The village may very well be wiped out."**

"But Konoha's strong! There's no way-"

**"Make no mistake, Brat. Those robes they wore definitely made them look like part of an organisation, and if missing-nin like that - one of which wiped out the entire Uchiha clan - are working for a superior, how powerful must this superior be? Quite possibly powerful enough to destroy a hidden village."**

Naruto felt his mouth go dry. "Konoha could be destroyed, because of _me?_"

The Kyūbi glared down at his Jinchūriki, eyes hard. **"Yes."**

The blond genin was, for once, speechless. He felt a sick sort of feeling swirl inside him.

The Bijū continued, filling the stretching silence.

**"If they are coming after me," **he said, voice rumbling. **"It is a very real possibility that they will target my siblings and their Jinchūriki as well. If a Bijū is removed from its host, the host dies."**

Naruto looked up, face rather pale. "Die? I guess that makes sense." He paused. "Siblings? The other Tailed Beasts?"

The Kyūbi growled an affirmative, eyeing the small boy with carefully disguised interest. **"What are you thinking, Brat?"**

"You're awfully talkative today."

The gargantuan fox snarled and reared away, eyes catching alight with fire as he roared. **"Don't think all this information is for your benefit! I couldn't care less about what happens to you or your pathetic little village. The only thing I am thinking of is myself; the only reason I told you all of this is because I do not wish to be in the possession of those missing-nin, nothing more! Don't get any ideas, Brat."**

The Kyūbi lay down and curled up, facing away from his jailer.

"Of course," he heard his vessel murmur.

The demon fox snorted. That stupid hyperactive blond would probably start thinking they were best buddies if he continued as he had just then. Damn his vulpine curiosity. Damn his ridiculous, unpredictable, unorthodox Jinchūriki. Damn it all.

_-W-A-N-_

As abruptly as he'd fallen into his mindscape, Naruto found himself back in the library, the book still lying open on the page concerning Jinchūriki. He shook his head. He'd learnt so much in the past half-an-hour his brain hurt trying to process it all. Bracing his hands on the table, Naruto took a deep breath; a plan was quickly forming in his mind and, as much as he wanted to violently reject the idea, he had admit it was probably best in the long-run.

"Naruto?"

Said boy's head snapped towards the voice. "Sakura-chan?"

The pink-haired kunoichi raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost - and what're you doing in the library? I don't think I've ever seen you here. Ever."

Naruto laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "Eh heh, I'm fine! Long story, sorry, Sakura-chan, but I've gotta go, errr, write a letter." With that, Naruto walked as fast as he could from the library without drawing any unwanted attention, before sprinting home when he stepped outside.

Sakura frowned. What was that?

_-W-A-N-_

Naruto put down his pen, and re-read the freshly-written letter addressed to Gaara. It could've been better, he supposed, but finely crafted missives weren't exactly his strong suit. Gaara was his friend after all, it wasn't like he was writing some formal letter to a complete stranger. But the topic of the letter _was_ very serious. Did he get it right? Ah well, he couldn't keep re-writing and re-writing the stupid thing, it would take forever. Plus, his hand was killing him, he couldn't recall the last time he'd spent so long on a piece of writing.

He rolled the sheet up and tied it securely, writing Gaara's name out on the front. Now to send it. He'd come up with an, in his opinion, ingenious method of getting the letter straight to Gaara. There was no way a missing messenger-bird would go unnoticed, so he'd had to find a different way to send it. He hoped it worked.

He bit his thumb, ran through the correct seals and slammed his hand down on the floor.

"_Summoning Jutsu_!"

A small orange and purple toad poofed into existence in the middle of Naruto's apartment.

"Hey, Gamakichi."

The amphibian looked up at his summoner. "Yo, Naruto. Whaddya need?"

The blond held out the letter. "Can you take this to Suna?"

Gamakichi eyed the roll of paper. "Do I look like a messenger summon to you?"

"Err," Naruto replied eloquently. "Was that a no?"

The toad gave the blond a look. "I didn't say I couldn't, just that I didn't want to."

Naruto sighed. "I'll buy you a month's supply of pocky."

The toad considered for a moment, then shrugged. "Deal, if you make it two months. So who's the letter for?"

"Gaara."

"The crazy red-headed raccoon guy?"

Naruto nodded. "That's the one, and wait for a reply would you?"

The toad sighed and took the scroll, grumbling. "Ugh, the desert, that crazy-ass sand dude. Two month's supply, got it?"

Naruto nodded, worriedly glancing at an emaciated Gama-chan sitting on his bed. With a wave, Gamakichi disappeared in a puff of white smoke.


	2. It's Always Nice to Have a Supporter

**A.N. Here we are, the promised chapter 2! It was so quick because I'd already written it as I said, I just had to go over it. I'm not usually this fast at updating, trust me. Next chapter should be out soon too, as I've written up to chapter 7.**

**Thank you SO, SO much for you enthusiastic responses guys, waking up to 2 reviews, 2 favourites and 3 followers like 8 hours after it was posted was awesome. You guys are awesome. As such, this chapter is dedicated to ****_Sadleh_****, ****_TheRedJay05_****, ****_Kakashi Hatake42 _****and the anon Guest reviewer, you cool people you. I'm not sure how well I captured Gaara in this, he feels a bit OOC, which is really annoying because I love Gaara a lot. Like a lot, a lot. What? Of course I'm not a Gaara fangirl, who do you take me for? *shifty eyes***

**Anyway, please tell me what you think. Enjoy chapter 2 and, as always, please leave a review and tell me if there are any issues in anything.**

**FlyAway**

**EDIT 06/10/2014: I changed the council scene ever so slightly (just the first of many edits I'm sure) as it felt like the most OOC bit of all and the biggest plot hole. I hope this way it's better, but I know it's still not perfect - I'm sorry, I'm trying.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2. <strong>

**It's Always Nice to Have a Wizened Supporter **

_**OR**_

** A Guide to Convincing a Council to Let You Go on a Possibly Very Dangerous Mission with a Bunch of Complete Strangers**

The sand grains danced around his hand and twirled between his fingers, performing a little jig. Gaara, rather bored, watched it, vaguely aware of his brother jabbering away beside him.

"Gaara? Gaara?"

The read-head turned to Kankurō , eyes stoical as always. "Yes?"

"Where you listening to me at all?"

The Jinchūriki stared at the faced-painted teen, silently amused. "No."

Kankurō let out an exaggerated sigh and clapped a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. The way Gaara tensed at the physical contact did not go over the puppeteer's head and he quickly let go.

"I was talking about Temari," he explained, trying to brush past the brief awkward moment. "She's been acting really suspiciously lately. I think she's got a boyfriend, so it's our job, as her brothers, to find this guy and rough him up a bit, see if he's good enough for our sister."

Gaara sent his dancing sand back into his gourd. "Temari is more than capable of looking after herself and I doubt she has decided to court anyone. You are merely being overly-paranoid."

Kankurō raised a brow. "What makes you so sure?"

Gaara side-stepped a ball that came zooming from across the road. One of children playing with it ran over and scooped it up, watching Gaara cautiously, his body language stiff. "Sorry, mister."

Gaara blinked. He was saddened, but understood why, the child still held a sliver of fear for him. He nodded. "It is quite alright." The kid smiled toothily, but his eyes held slight relief. The Ichibi container turned back to his brother, whose expression was faintly reminiscent of the little boy's. "She said something the other day about all the men in Suna being 'spineless five-year-olds."

The expression in his eyes disappeared and Kankurō smirked momentarily, then his face froze. "Wait, all of them?"

"Except me."

He scowled. Gaara felt the corners of his lips twitch. Ever since his reform at the Chūnin Exams, he found that it was happening more and more, this odd alien sensation of smiling with happiness or amusement - or almost smiling, anyway. It had been so many years since he'd done so, he'd forgotten the feeling.

Reaching their destination (the house they shared together with their sister), Gaara wrapped up the conversation. "As such, I do not believe Temari has a 'secret boyfriend'." Kankurō grudgingly conceded and unlocked the door. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

The older of the duo nodded and headed off towards the kitchen, no doubt in search of some sort of sustenance, while the younger ascended to his bedroom.

Gaara's room couldn't really be called a 'bedroom', however, as it lacked the piece of furniture implied in the name. What it did have was a small desk, a comfortable cushioned chair (on which sat his childhood teddy), a plain bookcase and his cactus collection, which was lined up neatly on his windowsill. He leant down to inspect his cacti; they were mostly a relatively easy plant to care for, but they did have certain requirements.

A _poof_ and an accented "yo" sounding from behind him caused the Jinchūriki to spin around, uncork his gourd and assume a defensive position, sand pooling in the air around him, ready to strike.

"Woah, woah, WOAH!" The small orange amphibian exclaimed, raising its webbed hands in front of its face and hopping backwards. "Sand away, Mr. Eyeliner!"

Gaara paused. What was a toad - and a talking one at that - doing in the desert, let alone his room? The creature looked vaguely familiar too, but he had no idea why. He straightened up and returned his sand to his gourd, but didn't re-cork it. The toad eyed him warily and muttered something about two month's supply not being enough.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked, examining the thing with interest.

The talking toad waved warily. "Name's Gamakichi."

"Gamakichi?" Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow.

"Yep, Toad Summon of Mount Myōboku. I've got a letter for you."

The redhead blinked. As far as he knew, only two people could summon toads and the only one of those two that he could imagine having reason to sent hima letter was Naruto. But what did the blond want to tell him about?

"From Naruto, I presume?"

The summon nodded and held out a rolled up piece of paper. "Yep, here you go. Must be pretty important, he seemed kinda anxious."

Gaara took the scroll and bobbed his head. "Thank you."

"Sure thing," the amphibian said. "I'll be back in about an hour, alright? Naruto asked me bring back a reply."

Gaara nodded and Gamakichi puffed away in a cloud of white smoke. The boy stared at the letter in his hands. Why would Naruto write to him? Why would he be anxious? He unrolled it.

_Gaara,_

It began.

_Hey, how are you? I know I don't normally send you letters like this (ever, actually), but something kinda big has come up. It concerns you and me and the seven others like us._

_I recently found out some interesting information that I don't know if you know. Shukaku and the Kyūbi are two of the Bijū, nine tailed demons with huge amounts chakra. Shukaku is the Ichibi, the One-Tail, like the Kyūbi is the Nine-Tails. _

_We're even more alike than we realised. We're both Jinchūriki - people who have a Bijū sealed inside them. There are seven others in different villages. I think we have to find them because the Kyūbi told me something (and I know I shouldn't listen to him but my something's telling me he wasn't lying)._

_He told me that there's this organisation of S-class missing-nin after us - well, more accurately, after the Bijū inside us. Two of them already came after me for the fox and the only reason they failed is because Ero-sennin fought them off and they decided they'd wait because they 'didn't _need_ me at that point' or something. The Kyūbi said that he thinks that these two are part of the organisation, and that if shinobi as powerful as them are working under a superior, this superior must be very powerful. Powerful enough to destroy a hidden village._

_So I've decided to leave. Because as much as the idea makes me sick, the thought of Konoha being destroyed because of _me_ makes me sicker._

_The reason I'm writing to _you_ is because I've got to warn you: the fox said if they're after me they may be after the other Jinchūriki as well. They may be after you. I cannot let them get you - you're one of my precious people. I guess, in a way, you're my brother too. So I can't let them get you or Suna. _

_For this reason, I want to ask you to join me in my search for the other Jinchūriki, so we can save them. I understand completely if you won't, it's a huge thing to ask. You'd be leaving behind so much, so you can protect it, and I don't know what you'll be classed as in the village. I know that it's likely that Konoha will class me as a missing-nin and I'll never become Hokage, but if it's to protect my precious people, I'll give my dream up._

_I'm sorry,_

_Naruto_

Gaara, who had collapsed into his chair halfway through, let the letter flutter to the floor. He was not normally one for open emotion, but the shock echoing through him was devastating.

He stared, shaken, out of his window at Suna; the children playing in the streets, the imposing village wall, the tall sandy dome that was the (currently unoccupied) Kazekage's office.

_I will become Kazekage._

He remembered his promise. He _would _become Kazekage, but he would protect the village first. Like Naruto had said, protecting his precious people was more important, even if someone else became Godaime.

It hurt, but he would join Naruto. For Suna. For Temari and Kankurō. For the other Jinchūriki.

But perhaps he would see the council first.

"The council is not entirely sure what you're asking for, Gaara."

Said boy surveyed the council members evenly. He'd penned a reply to Naruto and sent Gamakichi along with it, before requesting a formal audience with the Sunagakure council. They'd complied (grudgingly - it was a slightly sudden request and the majority still weren't all that fond of him) and were currently sitting staring at Gaara with expressions ranging between shock, confusion and annoyance.

"I am asking for permission to leave the village for an extended period of time so that I may learn to control my Bijū and meet my fellow Jinchūriki." He stated again. "I would also like to put forward a more personal matter."

Several council members exchanged cautious glances and whispered words. A wizened man leant forward on the table, startlingly blue eyes inquisitive. "A personal matter?"

Gaara recognised the man - a very elderly member of the council. If what he'd heard was correct, the old man had always been against his father's treatment of him, the village's Jinchūriki. In fact, he'd heard he was the only one who had been against the idea of another Jinchūriki in the first place.

"I would like to ask if any decision has been made over the last few months on who may assume the title of Godaime Kazekage."

The man raised a bushy white eyebrow. "No, there has not. Currently, we have no willing individual of the standard needed in Suna." He gazed at Gaara over his spectacles with an odd twinkle in his eye. "We are unsure of when such an individual may arise. Until then, the council will act as village leader in this time of peace. Why do you ask, young one?"

Gaara bowed his head respectfully. "I have an ambition to become Kazekage," he admitted. "However recent events have demanded my leave from the village so no harm may befall it due to certain people wanting to get hold of Shukaku."

One of the younger council members frowned disapprovingly and asked sharply, "may we ask who these people are?"

Gaara took a deep breath. "A... friend, has informed me of a group of S-class missing-nin that are after the Bijū; he said the missing-nin may very well be powerful enough to destroy a Hidden Village."

There was silence. The shocked faces of the council stared back at the red-haired boy and glanced around at each other. The old man - perhaps Gaara should learn his name - cleared his throat.

"Are you saying, Gaara, that there is an organisation of S-rank missing-nin after the Bijū and, by extension, the Jinchūriki they are sealed into?"

"Yes."

A dull murmur broke out among the council before the old man cleared his throat once again, effectively killing the hushed whispers.

"Surely it would be better if you stayed in the village? You would be more easily protected that way."

Gaara nodded. "You may be correct, however that course of action may lead to the thing I wish to prevent with my temporary leaving - the destruction, or at least damage, of Suna. I _will_ protect the village, even if it means I have to give up the dream of becoming the next Kazekage."

The council was speechless. _This _was the boy who, just a few months previously, had been so full of bitter resentment towards the village and cared nothing for it? Let alone wanting to become _Kazekage _and _protect _Suna above _all else_? Every member was utterly dumbfounded. It was true that since the Chūnin Exams Gaara had shown a significant transformation - what with losing his bloodthirsty nature, total lack of regard for others and tendency to kill anyone who even looked at him funny - but this was something else. What had happened to the Jinchūriki to change his view of the world so drastically?

"Who was this friend you speak of?" The old man asked, a small smile tugging at the lips hidden beneath his beard.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's Jinchūriki."

"Jinchūriki? Well they kept that quiet. I'd heard rumours of course, especially after the Chūnin Exams, but..." a short, rotund woman with a frizz of greying hair spoke up. Her fellow council members nodded in agreement around her.

The old man rapped his wrinkled knuckles on the table. "Quite," he said. "So, Gaara, you are asking permission to leave Suna so you don't put it and its citizens in danger?"

"That is correct."

The man looked around at the council members. "Well, in my opinion, that sounds like something a Kage would do for their village."

Gaara blinked. Some of the council members nodded, whilst the rest scowled and muttered amongst themselves.

"Perhaps, after a bit of training and time, you would make a good Godaime?"

Gaara blinked again. "I'm not entirely sure what you're saying, sir."

A stern-faced individual bristled. "Now let's not be too hasty here. Apparently 'reformed' or not, we are talking about the boy who is feared throughout the village, and for good reason I might add." He surveyed Gaara darkly through his spectacles. "Countless unprovoked killings, hundreds of serious injuries and innumerable complaints to the council regarding you, Sabaku no Gaara."

Gaara grimaced and cast his gaze to the floor.

"What say you, boy?" The man pushed.

The wrinkled man frowned at his bespectacled colleague. "Gaara?" He asked, fixing his blue eyes of the Jinchūriki.

Gaara swallowed and raised his eyes, meeting each of the council members' eyes unflinchingly. "I have done many things I am not proud of in my past but, recent as this past may be, I have changed. I am no longer the boy who was met with disgusted glares and terrified screams and retaliated with anger and violence and hate. I had all my beliefs stripped and away and proved false by someone I at first considered weak and unworthy of my time. In this person I found someone who understood me, who accepted me. He showed me how wrong I was, how I could be using my skills for good, how there were people who loved me, but were scared to. He showed me the light - he saved me - and I wish to be like him."

There was silence. Even the most bitter of his opponents had nothing to say. The old man stared at Gaara, lips stretched into a wide smile. Something twinkled down his cheek before it rolled into his thick beard and was gone.

"Well," he said, breaking the silence. "On that note, I feel we can grant you your wish, on the condition that you return at least every few months for us to assess you. Maybe you will be eligible for the title of Kazekage, when you return from you extended training trip, older, wiser and more powerful."

Gaara stared. Had the old man just said what he thought he'd said?

"All in agreement?"

Around half of the council raised their hands. Of course, the other half didn't, still judgmental, distrustful and full of resentment towards the previously mentally unstable Jinchūriki, despite his speech. But those who did outweighed those who didn't - if only slightly.

"The council has decided: Gaara, you have permission to leave on your 'trip', as long as you return regularly so that we may assess your growth. You will also be put under consideration for Godaime Kazekage candidate. During your leave, you and any _companions_-" Gaara got the feeling that by 'companions' he meant the other Jinchūriki. That man certainly was a wily one. "-you may have in your company are welcome in Suna. This audience is hereby complete, you are free to leave, boy, and you may begin your trip at any point."

Gaara was stunned. He watched distantly as the council members began to pack up; his feet automatically carried him out the door. By the time he was at the stairs, it finally dawned on him what had just occurred. He was free to join Naruto and _come back _whenever he wished_. _Even more than that, they were keeping him in consideration for _Godaime Kazekage. _He walked down the steps to the ground floor, careful to not trip in his astounded daze. He should check if Naruto had replied about a meeting point. He would tell him about this development when they met - this would ease things, if only a little.

Running. She had to keep running. Feet digging into the dirt, river bubbling alongside her. She could hear the angry yells behind her getting closer, closer, closer.

Keep running.

Her breath came in short shallow gasps, her lungs burned, her legs screamed, but she had to _keep running_.

_Please, I just need one pair of wings so I can fly away, please._

But she knew it was useless. That man had blocked her chakra, and her connection to Chōmei. She was on her own.

"Demon! Get back here!"

She glanced back. Her foot snagged on an errant tree root and she sprawled forwards onto the rocky ground, badly scraping her hands and knees. She let out a quiet squeak of pain, tears leaking from between her squeezed-shut eyelids. A calloused hand gripped her wrist and hauled her to her feet.

"Get up you stupid demon!"

"No, no, please-! I'm sorry! _I'm sorry!_ Just please don't-"

"Shut up, demon!" Screeched an enraged woman in the mob. Someone threw a stone. It flew too close past her cheek, slicing deep and leaving a thick cut that oozed blood.

She let out a pained cry, hand clutching the gash. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, let me go! I'm not a demon! I'm _not!_"

A harsh backhand across her face silenced her. "I thought we told you to shut it, demon!"

The mob rushed forward, angry fists raised.

**_"Fū!"_**

Then all she could see was black.


	3. The Tanuki Really Doesn't Like the Fox

**A.N. Hello again! Third day in a row huh? Seriously, do not expect this in the future - I am a notoriously bad updater when it's not already-written. On more important and upbeat note, WOW GUYS. WOW. I AM SO BLOWN AWAY. This story has been up three (almost four) days and it's become my most followed story! I literally cannot believe it, I have never have such an amazing influx of follows, favourites and reviews in such a short time. I have no words for how amazed I m and how awesome you guys are. Seriously. You guys are the best. **

**A special huge thank you to those who reviewed: Guest, ****_Blackwell, thor94, _****another Guest and ****_Sagemodeman. _****You guy rock.**

**In regards to answering your reviews, I'm gonna do it here because there there are only two that have questions that need answering.**

_**thor94:**_** You'll see what's happening back in Konoha next chapter :p**

_**Sagemodeman:**_** First of all, thank you so much for your opinion on Suna's acceptance! I was a little unsure when I wrote it because it seemed a bit of a stretch and a tad unbelievable, but it had to happen because I do plan for Gaara to still become Godaime Kazekage and that can't happen if he's declared a missing-nin. I tried to present it in a way that seemed even slightly believable, so thank you for giving me feedback on that :D **

**Enjoy chapter 3 and don't forget to review!**

**FlyAway**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3. <strong>

**The Tanuki Really Doesn't Like the Fox**

Naruto stared down at the array of envelopes laid out on his table. All of them were addressed to different people, all said something slightly different inside, but all told the same thing.

_I'm leaving. I'm sorry. I'm doing it to keep you safe. I'll be back._

He sighed. He wished so, so much that he didn't have to leave like this, but there was no way that the council - and probably not even Tsunade-baa-chan (although, for different reasons, probably) - would let him leave for an unknown, extended period of time in a search for the other Jinchūriki (several of which were from villages on less-than-friendly terms with Konoha) and try to tame the infamous I'm-gonna-destroy-your-village-and-kill-all-your-people-mwhaha Kyūbi.

The names written in his messy scrawl glared up at him.

_Sakura-chan, Tsunade-baa-chan, Ero-sennin, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, Teams Gai, Eight and Ten._

Naruto rubbed his eyes. Nope, no crying today. He refused. He'd be back after all, it wasn't like he'd never see them again. He'd see them soon. _Soon. _He _would._

Well then, time to go.

Everything was set. Gamakichi had returned with Gaara's reply and Naruto had (feeling a little bad) sent the poor toad hopping off with one last note, enclosed in which was the location Naruto and Gaara would meet. He'd packed a travel bag with everything he couldn't leave behind - which, granted, was very little - and he'd penned the letters on his table to all the people he needed to inform of his plans (or at least a shortened, vague explanation as to why he'd suddenly upped and left). These letters would be left there, on the table: someone would check his apartment when it was noticed he'd gone and find them. Naruto turned around and swallowed. He would be back. Picking up his packed travel bag, he opened his front door and paused. He gazed over his shoulder and cast his eyes across his apartment for the last time in a long while.

"Bye."

He stepped over the threshold and quietly shut the door behind him.

_-W-A-N-_

"You're going _where_?"

Temari frowned, watching her youngest brother worriedly.

"On an extended training trip."

Kankurō raised his eyebrows. "Riiiiiiight."

Gaara sighed. "I am leaving the village to train for an unknown period of time, but I am to report every few months so that the council can 'assess' my progress."

"Why?" Temari asked.

"They," Gaara hesitated. "They are considering me as a candidate for Godaime Kazekage, depending how I progress on this trip."

Temari and Kankurō stared. And stared. An enormous grin stretched across the puppeteer's face and he punched the air.

"_Yeah_! Good for you, Gaara!" He clapped his brother on the back, choosing to ignore the boy's sudden tensing at the contact. "I knew you could do it!"

"I'm not Kazekage yet, Kankurō."

"Baby steps, Gaara, baby steps - well more like giant leaps: candidate! Woo!"

"_Possible _candidate."

Temari laughed, a bright smile gracing her face. "Don't be so negative, Gaara!" she beamed. "This is huge! To even be _considered _for a Kage candidate." She laid a hand on her little brother's arm. He froze, but she paid no attention to his discomfort - he had to get used to it. Now that she could actually _touch _and _interact _with her brother without the fear of death she was damn well going to do so! She _loved_ him and she could finally _show _it.

Gaara cleared his throat and shied away from his siblings' touch. "Thank you," his mouth turned up slightly at the corners. "However, I have not yet told you the reason I am embarking on this trip."

_-W-A-N-_

Dusk had settled, painting the sky with darkening blues, blushed pinks and streaks of purple. The moon hung, pearly and glowing, above the desert, shining its mystical silver light over the vast expanse of sand.

Gaara approached the entrance of the only gap in the towering wall surrounding Sunagakure and came to stop. He glanced over his shoulder and gazed at the buildings of sand, the sea of lights, the few stars emerging that twinkled merrily above. He took a deep breath and turned away, walking through the passage and away from the Village Hidden in the Sand.

_-W-A-N-_

**"Boy."**

Oh, great.

After several hours of travel, Gaara had made reasonably good progress. Suna had long since disappeared from sight and all that surrounded him now was miles and miles of rolling sand, decorated by the occasional shrub or cactus. He _had _been trekking in silence, which he was more than used to, but then, of course -

**_"Boy!"_**

"What?"

**"About time."**

"What do you want, Shukaku? I'm busy at the moment."

There was a menacing snarl inside his head.

**"What I ****_want, _****you disrespectful squirt, is for you to tell me what, exactly, you think you're doing."**

"I would've thought you knew, you are sealed inside me after all."

The One-Tail snarled.

**"Oh I know what you're doing, you stupid little pest, but that doesn't mean ****_I _****am willing to go along with you on this fool's pursuit. I have no intention or wish of seeing my siblings, that damn fox's presence was enough. You just ****_had _****to become all buddy-buddy with that idiotic container of his, didn't you? That boy is almost as insufferable as the moron fox himself. And worse! He turned you into some boring goody-two-shoes. Blood! I want blood! You're impossible to control now!"**

Gaara frowned, feeling anger bubble in his gut. "I have no further desire to speak with you."

Shukaku let out a booming, gravelly laugh.

**"Did I hit a nerve, boy?"**

"I will never let you control me like that again." Gaara said, evenly. "Naruto is my friend and whether or not you like him is totally irrelevant."

The demon scoffed. "**Friend. What an utterly pointless word. Only weaklings need ****_friends_**** - true strength is in solitude. Emotional ties only bring pain. You should know, boy."**

Gaara took a deep breath, pushing the bad memories that rose to the surface away. "That's not true. Some, maybe. But when you find the right people, they make you stronger."

Shukaku made a gagging sound. "**Ugh, what a sickening notion. I think I might throw up."**

The Jinchūriki paused. "You sound like you speak from experience, when you talk of emotional ties."

Shukaku was silent for a fleeting moment, then he growled darkly. Gaara blinked. Had _he _hit a nerve?

**"Don't say such nonsense, you useless twerp!" **The Bijū sneered. "**You are even more brainless than I thought! Now shut up. I'm going to sleep."**

With that, the enormous tanuki cut off the connection and Gaara's mind was quiet once more. He pondered. What was that? The demon had acted very... peculiarly to Gaara's last statement. Perhaps he really had hit something. Just what exactly was in his demon's past?

_-W-A-N-_

The first thing Fū felt when she awakened was pain.

Her head hurt, her face hurt, her arms hurt, her feet hurt, her legs hurt - her entire being _hurt_. She blinked open her eyes blearily and was greeted with the navy night sky above her, clouded over by sinister, foreboding storm clouds. She sighed, then winced as the movement sent sharp slices of pain through her abdomen. Very slowly, she sat up, trying to ignore screams of protest her body made. Thunder boomed threateningly close by.

_Chōmei? _She asked hopefully; she wasn't entirely sure if the chakra blockage had worn off yet.

**_"Fū!" _**came an overjoyed but relatively faint reply. "**I'm so sorry! I tried to take over but the jutsu that man performed blocked most of my efforts, the most I could do was drive them away with my chakra after you'd passed out."**

Fū smiled softly. _It's okay, Chōmei,_ she responded, _you did your best._ _I really need to get out of here though, could you lend me some chakra for my injuries? _

**"Already on it,"** the Bijū said. Fū felt the pain of her wounds fade until most of it was just an uncomfortable ache.

_Thanks._

She gathered some of the chakra the Tailed Beast had leant her and used it to sprout a pair of insect-like wings, before flying off towards the dilapidated hut she called home. As she breached the tree-tops, the clouds opened and a steady deluge of rain began to pour down, soaking her thin clothes and hair and trickling down her wings, making the continual flapping of the appendages increasingly difficult. Thunder cracked overhead and Fū shrieked, fluttering sideways in shock. She trembled; the rain had numbed her, her skin was freezing to the touch and all she wanted to do was curl up on her small bed in her small tree-house and cry.

_Someone please, anyone, help me._ But she knew no one would. Humans were cruel and had no sympathy for a demon like her.

_-W-A-N-_

Naruto leapt from branch to branch, determinedly making haste into the Land of Rivers. He refused to think about Konoha. If he dwelt on it there was a high possibility he would change his mind and turn back, a choice that may very well lead to the village's destruction. No, he just wouldn't think about the precious friends he was leaving behind. This was for _them_, so they would be _safe_. And besides, it wasn't as if he was leaving forever, he'd see them again, he _would. _

There was a low grumble and he felt his stomach heat up uncomfortably.

"What?" He asked.

The fox's reply was low and sullen. **"That damn raccoon."**

"Huh?"

**"I can sense Shukaku about a mile away, stupid tanuki."**

"So Gaara's nearby?"

The fox snorted in affirmation.

"You really don't like Shukaku, do you?"

The Kyūbi snorted again and said nothing.

They continued in silence, the only sounds the forest animals and the rushing of a river below them.

_-W-A-N-_

**_"Kurama."_**

"Excuse me?" Gaara said, perplexed at his demon's sudden, seemingly nonsensical, growl.

**"The fox is close by." **Shukaku replied, not bothering to explain his previous statement. **"Very close by. Ugh, I hate him. This is all your fault you stupid human."**

The Jinchūriki thought it best to overlook the jab. "How close?"

The tanuki groused. **"About half a mile."**

"Thank you."

Shukaku made no reply.

_-W-A-N-_

**"Just ahead," **came the Nine-Tails tetchy voice. **"The stupid tanuki is just ahead."**

Naruto's lips twisted up into a small smirk; the fox was becoming more and more vocal - and in a surprisingly helpful (if always surly) manner. "Thanks."

The fox huffed.

Sure enough, Naruto spotted a flash of red through the trees. "Gaara!" He dropped to the ground and came to a stop. The Suna-nin landed in front of him, not-quite-smiling.

"Naruto, it's good to see you."

Said blond grinned widely and stepped forward, grabbing the One-Tail container in hug. He stiffened. Naruto ignored this.

"Thanks for coming," he told the redhead gratefully, releasing him. "I know it was too much to ask of you and really out of the blue, so thank you, so much."

Gaara really did smile - sort of. It was small, so small it was barely there at all, but genuine. "Of course. I had to leave to protect Suna and its people and your plan is a good one." He said. "And you're my friend."

The blond Jinchūriki grinned hugely, before it shrunk and he rubbed the back of his head guiltily, biting his lip and glancing away. "But now Suna'll mark you as a missing-nin, you might never be able to go back."

An odd spark entered Gaara's eyes. "About that."

Naruto frowned confusedly. "What?"

"I am on an extended training trip," he replied. "But I have to report back to Suna every couple of months and any companions I may have with me are welcome in the village. I have permission from the Council to be here, so I have not breached any rules and am still very much a shinobi of Suna."

Naruto stared at Gaara for a moment, the gears in his head turning as he connected the dots. Then a huge grin split his face. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

Naruto laughed joyfully, clapping Gaara on the back. "That's brilliant!"

The Ichibi host nodded. "There is a high possibly it will also be useful for us and the other Jinchūriki in the future."

**"Raccoon."**

**"Fox."**

Both Jinchūriki jumped as the Ichibi and the Kyūbi suddenly spoke up, their two voices filled with equal amounts of antagonism.

**"Don't go thinking I ****_want_**** to be here, Nine-Tails."**

**"The feeling is mutual, Shukaku."**

**"Well it ****_was _****_your _****idiot container that started this whole thing! It could be argued this is all your fault!"**

Killing intent spiked, suffocating in its maliciousness. **_"_****SHUKAKU!"**

"Oi! Nine-Tails!"

Naruto's abrupt interruption surprised the two Beasts, causing them to pause their bickering.

**_"What, _****Brat****_?"_**

"Can't you two _try _to get along? You're like a pair of children, jeez!"

Both Bijū felt this extremely rich coming from the blond Jinchūriki. (A similar thought struck Gaara, but he remained silent, as he agreed with his friend's main point nonetheless.)

"The two of you are going to be travelling and working together now, whether you like it or not, so can't you at least attempt to get over whatever happened that caused your hatred of each other?"

"I agree," Gaara interjected. "It would be practical and logical to set aside your feelings of resentment if we are to work together."

**"Who ever said anything about working together?" **The tanuki demon asked spitefully. **"I have no intention of working with the fox."**

**"For once I agree with the raccoon." **The Kyūbi snapped as if the very admission was painful.

Naruto glanced at Gaara. "Great. What a good start." The redhead sighed, nodding.

"Something tells me this endeavour is going to be even more difficult than we thought."

_-W-A-N-_

Yagura stopped, defeated. The relentless Hunter-nin that had been chasing him for days were closing in. There was nowhere to run anymore.

So this was it. This was how the infamous Yondaime Mizukage went down. At the hands of his own village. Hunted down and brought back to Kiri like the criminal he admittedly was, and executed by the orders of the woman who'd led the rebellion against him. He should be thankful to her, he supposed. It was she, after all, who'd chased him out of the village and, in doing so, apparently expended his usefulness to the man who had been controlling him for nearly two and a half years. The foggy haze that had clouded his mind for so long had lifted, and with it had come a flood of memories of the years he'd been under the jutsu. He witnessed himself order atrocities and command slaughter. He had become the very man he'd replaced; the very man who's tyrannical work he'd intended to repair; the very man he'd loathed with every fibre of his being.

And Yagura hated himself for it. How could he have been so _weak? _How could he, the _Fourth Mizukage,_ have been so weak as to have fallen victim to an enemy's jutsu - a jutsu that had trapped him in a murky limbo, with a barely-vague awareness of reality. He, the very man elected to protect the village from harm, had inflicted the damage himself because he was weak enough to be taken down and controlled by someone he was _meant to defend the village from. _He disgusted himself.

Maybe he deserved this fate.

He felt a small, sharp implement pierce the back of his shoulder. Ah, so they'd finally found him then. He stood stationary as he heard the Hunter-nin drop down the ground behind him.

"Yondaime-sama," he heard one begin - presumably the leader. It was nice to know they still respected him enough to refer to him by his title, not that he necessarily deserved it after what he'd done. "We have orders to bring you back to the village, if you come quietly there will be no reason to cause you injury. If you struggle we will have no choice but to subdue you."

Yagura turned. Four Hunter-nin stood across from him, the Kirigakure symbols on their masks seeming to jump out and taunt him. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. His rightful fate awaited him.

"I understand my crimes. I will no longer resist." The Hunter-nins nodded approvingly; their body language suggested they were relieved they didn't have to fight him. Elite Anbu or not, he _was _the (ex, he reminded himself firmly) Mizukage. The leader approached him.

"We are under order to place chakra restraints on you, hold out your arms."

Yagura began to comply when an outraged roar seemed to split his head in two.

**_"NO WAY!"_**

Oh no. Since waking up from his trance, his control over the Sanbi had lessened considerably. He knew what was coming.

**"I REFUSE TO LET YOU GO OUT LIKE THIS AND I REFUSE TO LET YOU DRAG ME DOWN WITH YOU! NO!"**

_Isobu, no! I'm sorry! No - NO!_

But it was too late. He felt the Tailed-Beast inside him take over his body just as his awareness slipped away and he tumbled into the warm embrace of unconsciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. Okay, just so you know, I love Yagura a lot - far too much in comparison to his very limited "screen" time in the manga - so <strong>**_of course _****I just ****_have _****to give him hard time... (just wait till he next appears, that scene really upset me while I was writing it).**


	4. Of Farewell Letters and Waterfalls

**A.N. Hey guys! **

**First of all, OH MY LORD. I've gotten so many followers for this story - 68 and I only posted it a few days ago. I am so blown away by your positive feedback and attitude to this story, I don't think I can express my gratitude. **

**Anywho, here's chapter 4 for you, I added a whole little section to it today (in the last like, two hours, actually) which bumped it up to 3,333 (nice number, no?) words. That officially makes this the longest chapter yet! Wahey! *silent cheering* Proud of myself. But yeah, you'll see Konoha this chapter, and Fuu (kind of)!**

**Thanks for all the reviews guys!**

**Sagemodeman: I know, Fuu's having a really rough time of it, and Yagura is just completely resigned on life (but Isobu ain't having any o' that of course!). Ooo, that's a cool idea, I'll see if that works into my current ideas for how this is all gonna work and tie in together (my brain is churning out new stuff a lot, what with being stuck in class a lot now D:)! Thanks so much for the lengthy review, it literally made my day today. I got the e-mail and it made me so, so happy (like reviews always do, but yours was the longest yet so it was extra awesome).**

**In regards to how Taki's described, I tried to keep it similar to the anime, but I haven't I actually seen that episode so I wasn't completely sure about it. So I read about it a bit on Narutopedia and then added to it. Tell me your thoughts on it.**

**As always tell me if there are any errors, ooc-ness or the writing feels clunky (the guard section felt a bit off to me), and thanks for reading guys. Enjoy!**

**FlyAway**

**EDIT: Thanks _The Darkest Blaze _for pointing out my error, I hadn't noticed it! It's fixed now though :) Thank you again!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4.<strong>

**Of Farewell Letters, Giant Trees and Waterfalls**

Kakashi, before this, had been having an rather nice day. Nothing disastrous had happened to the village, he'd managed to grab the very last copy of the newest of Jiraiya-sama's books from the bookshop and he'd won the latest of his and Gai's competitions (rock, paper, scissors. He'd absolutely _decimated_ his 'Eternal Rival' with a sneaky quadruple bluff).

The 'this' that had ruined his day was Naruto.

The remaining members of Team Seven had decided to meet for one last training session (well, he didn't know how much _training _there'd be, it would probably be more of a social gathering, considering the current focuses of both of his Genin) before said blond left the village with the Toad Sage.

But Naruto had never shown up.

Which was really saying something, because the copy-nin himself had been a good two hours late. After waiting around for half-an-hour more, Kakashi and Sakura had decided enough was enough and gone to the boy's apartment.

That was how his day had been completely turned around.

He and his pink-haired student stood in the middle of Naruto's very empty flat. The lights had been turned off, the bed held no evidence of having been slept in and all the food had been removed from the fridge. Most worrying of all, however, was the lack of his blond gaki's possessions. Sure, a few of his belongings remained, but the important things were disturbingly absent. Most of his clothes were gone, his ninja equipment had vanished, and the photo of Team Seven Kakashi knew he kept on his dresser was missing.

All of these facts added up to one, terrifying conclusion that Kakashi was violently refusing to accept. There was no way. He wouldn't. Sakura seemed to have deduced something similar. Her eyes were wide and she looked faint, like she was about to be sick.

"Naruto?" He called out, knowing there would be no answer but doing so anyway. The expected silence was overpowering.

"Sensei," Sakura said quietly, moving over to the table and gazing down at something sitting on its surface. He directed his attention to the objects she was looking at and saw a collection of letters. He walked forward and picked one up: his messily written name stared back at him. His fingers went cold. No. No, no, no. He wouldn't have, _couldn't _have. Not another one, _pleasepleaseplease _not another one_. _Not Naruto. Not his teacher's son, _please._

"Sensei?" Sakura repeated, this time as a question. She looked shakily up at him, another letter, this one addressed to her, clutched in her hands. Kakashi swallowed.

"Who else are there letters for, Sakura?"

She inspected the pile and read out the names on each of the envelopes. He let out a trembling breath, and opened the paper in his hands.

_-W-A-N-_

"Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade sighed and, looking up from her paperwork, rubbed the bridge of her nose. "What?"

"Visitors to see you, Hokage-sama. They say it's urgent."

"Who is it?"

Before the guard could reply, Kakashi burst through the door, closely followed by a panicked-looking Sakura. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Kakashi didn't _barge in _through_ doors. Sneak in _through_ windows,_ yes. But not this.

"Kakashi?"

"Hokage-sama," he said, clearly trying to keep his voice even and calm. "We have some news you'll want to hear."

"News?" She replied, worry growing at the Jōnin's uncharacteristic behaviour. In answer, he held out a letter. She took it with trepidation. Her chest tightened at how her name was written on the front.

_Tsunade-baa-chan._

Only one person called her that. Only one person had the _nerve _to call her that. One person who could cause such alarm from the two in front of her.

She opened the letter, fear squeezing at her heart.

_Baa-chan,_

_When you read this, I'll be long gone. Please don't worry about me, I'll be fine, I'm not alone. The first thing I want to say is that I've left Konoha, but I did it to keep you and everyone else safe. I've left so that the village will be safe. But I'll be back, one day, I promise._

_There are people after me, after the Kyūbi. People powerful enough to destroy Konoha, and I will not let that happen because of me. I understand that this means I'll be marked as a missing-nin and that I'll never be able to become Hokage and that hurts. It was an impossibly hard decision, but the safety of the village means more to me. Besides, you can't be Hokage with no Konoha to be Hokage _of_, right? _

_I can't tell you my plan, but I can tell you it involves the Bijū and the other Jinchūriki - yes, I found out. Amazing what you can find out in the library actually, not that I plan on going back there anytime soon, it's so quiet! Anyway, the people who are after me are after the other Jinchūriki too and I can't let them get to them, they're kind of family in a way, even if I've never met them, and if they've had the same life as me and Gaara, then I think it's my duty to find them and help them._

_Believe me when I say leaving the village and all my precious people was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but if it means keeping them safe then I'd sacrifice my dream and my life. But just because I've left, don't think I won't be coming back. I'm returning and when I do I'll be five hundred times more awesome and able to protect the village. Even if you don't want protection from a missing-nin, you'll be getting it!_

_I'll miss you Baa-chan, and I like to think you'll miss me too, but I guess I am a bit of a handful huh?_

_I'll see you soon,_

_Naruto Uzumaki_

Tsunade gripped the edge of her desk with her free hand so hard the wood cracked. Twin tears blurred her vision and spilled down her cheeks.

"You idiot," she whispered angrily, her words hitching slightly. She glared back up at the two ninja standing silently in her office, words livid and thick with tears. "Who else did he write letters to?" Sakura placed three more envelopes before her. "Call them here," she told the Anbu hidden in the corner, who nodded, then flickered away.

_-W-A-N-_

Not fifteen minutes later, Tsunade observed the line of shinobi assembled in front of her with a stern mask. Teams Eight, Ten and Gai, their Jōnin senseis, Jiraiya and Iruka looked back at her curiously. The Genin (and Shikamaru) glanced at each other inquiringly and sent confused looks at a sorrowful Sakura and Kakashi, who stood next to the Hokage.

"What is this about, Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked, voicing the other's thoughts.

The Hokage took a deep breath, rearranging her mask to ensure it would remain intact as she relayed the information. "Kakashi and Sakura discovered something this morning," she began. "To do with Naruto." The majority of the room frowned in confusion and concern. Jiraiya's eyes widened as he took in Tsunade, Kakashi and Sakura's demeanour and began to realise the severity of what had happened.

"What about him?" Kiba said, his usually brash tone muted slightly by the beginnings of worry - what had happened to the blond that caused them all to be called here? Akamaru whined from atop his head.

"It appears," Tsunade hesitated and took a deep breath. "That Naruto has left the village."

There was silence.

"What?"

"That's ridiculous, he would never!"

"It is completely illogical, Naruto is not the type."

"Naruto-kun would not, he is far too youthful!"

Numerous confused and outraged cries came from the assembled Genin. The three Jōnin stared at the Hokage in shock. Naruto? Leave the village? The idea was absurd, he was, as had been said, just not the type - he was far too loyal to Konoha. Iruka looked like he'd been struck by lightning. No way. Not Naruto. He couldn't - unless...?

Jiraiya looked a mix between ill and furious. What the hell was the kid doing? They'd been due to leave pretty damn soon, he could only think of two things that would drive him do something like this and neither of them boded well at all. Naruto... He swallowed heavily.

Sakura stifled a quite sob. Why? First Sasuke had left, which had been one of the worst moments of her life, and all that had remained of their team were her and Naruto. Sure she hadn't liked the boy at first - he was loud and annoying - but they'd built a strong friendship. He was one of the few who understood how she felt about Sasuke's desertion. He'd been there for her, he was one of her best friends and now he was gone. He'd left her too. She was alone, the last remaining Genin of Team Seven.

Tsunade cleared her throat over the ruckus of Team Eight, Ten and Gai. They quietened immediately. "He left letters in his apartment. Sakura, Kakashi and I have already read ours, I called you all here to give yours to you." She held out the three envelopes. "One is addressed to Iruka, one to Jiraiya and one to all of the teams combined." The sage and the academy instructor took their letters from her hand and Shikamaru received the one remaining. There was silence for a few minutes as the letters were opened and read by the recipients.

The Jōnin were pale and disbelieving; Iruka looked like he was about to either burst into tears or storm off on a blind rampage to retrieve the blond boy. Jiraiya's expression was hard to determine - it was like some sort of strange mash of anger, disbelief and deep sadness. Every one of the Genin had matching looks of shock that became more and more sorrowful and they got further through their letter.

"Hokage-sama?" Iruka enquired softly, clutching his letter in white-knuckled hands.

"Yes?"

"Is Naruto going to be declared a missing-nin?"

Everyone turned to look at the Hokage with worried curiosity. She stared back evenly. "From what I understand from my letter - as I assume he also says in the ones to you -, Naruto left the village as a means to protect it. As Sasuke, who left for less-than-honourable reasons, has _not _been declared a missing-nin, I feel we can easily extend the same courtesy to Naruto."

The relief filling the room seemed almost palpable.

"Everyone has finished then?" She said brusquely. At the gathered ninja's affirmatives, she continued. "Good," she stood up, pushing her chair back with a loud _scrape_. "Then get after him! Kakashi, send out your ninken on his trail and follow them. Sakura, you're to go with him." The two nodded and made to leave, but Lee stepped forward.

"Hokage-sama! I would also like to be sent to recover Naruto!"

The other Genin cried their agreement.

"Yeah! Naruto'd do the same for us!"

"We can't just leave the baka to Forehead! I want to find him too!"

"I would appreciate also being part of helping to retrieve Naruto."

Tsunade slammed her palm down on her desk. The Genin silenced. "I understand your desire to help find Naruto." She told them sternly. "But I cannot send a large group after him: it would draw too much attention from both other lands and Konoha itself. If what I plan is to work, we cannot let it become common knowledge that Naruto left the village _without_ permission - I only have so much power as Hokage in the council. If they vote to class him as a missing-nin and the villagers agree, there will not be much I can do."

_-W-A-N-_

The land surrounding Takigakure was beautiful; bountiful forest stretched for miles, much like in the Land of Fire, Naruto thought fondly. Unlike the Land of Fire, however, it was filled with waterfalls. Small ones that fell for barely half a metre to enormous ones that gushed over drops a mile high and left the two Jinchūriki trekking across the country gaping. For the two boys, both of whom were unused to waterfalls (especially Gaara, who'd only left the desert on missions), it was a quite novel experience.

"Wow!"

Gaara smirked internally at his companion's antics. The blond boy was standing at the top of a waterfall several metres tall gazing down in glee to where the water flooded onto the rocks below. Gaara kept a stream of sand close by his fellow, although it wouldn't seriously injure him if he fell, the redhead couldn't help but feel slightly protective. "This place is awesome!" He grinned. Gaara's internal smirk twitched at his lips. He shared Naruto's sentiments, but found the way his friend expressed his amazement hugely amusing.

The blond glanced down once more, before turning and hurrying back to Gaara, who discreetly retracted his sand.

It had been a day since the two had met in the Land of Rivers and since then they had been travelling non-stop. Naruto had been worried that the Hokage (whom he affectionately referred to as 'baa-chan') would send someone after him, and it appeared that his worry was grounded: the previous evening the Bijū had sensed pursuers - two, to be exact - that were a couple of miles behind them and gaining.

When questioned, the fox had revealed them to be Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Haruno, Naruto's sensei and only remaining teammate.

The blond boy had faltered, slowing down with a downtrodden, pensive expression, before speeding ahead with a newfound fire. "I can't face them," he had admitted quietly to Gaara. "I've kept strong since leaving, my conviction hasn't failed, but if I see them now I'm scared it'll all fall away and I'll go back home. I can't do that, I can't put them in danger."

So they'd sped on, taking several detours to try and shake the Konoha-nin following them. It had worked, there being only two of them and neither being overly adept at tracking (barring Kakashi's ninken of course, but by walking through a few rivers for a while they'd lost them too, according to the Kyūbi - Gaara had a sneaking suspicion the Tailed-Beasts may have done something to mask their scents as well, but he couldn't be certain).

"Who did you say is in Taki?" The Ichibi container asked as they resumed walking.

"Err," Naruto dug a small slip of paper out of his pocket. "The book said Taki has the Seven-Tails, so its Jinchūriki should be somewhere in the village." He shoved the note back in his jacket. "Do you know anything about Taki?"

"Not particularly, though I have heard of it."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "The book mentioned something about it being the only village outside of the Five Great Hidden Villages to own a Bijū."

"So Iwa, Kumo and Kiri each have two Jinchūriki?"

"Yep."

They continued in silence for a bit before Naruto decided to try something.

"Hey, Nine-Tails, you know anything about Taki?"

The Kyūbi said nothing.

"Ugh, fine, be like that."

**"Stupid Brat." **The fox finally growled. **"Even if I did know anything why would I tell you?"**

"To be helpful? To help find your sibling?" The Kyūbi snorted. "Oh right, sorry. Forgot who I was talking to for a minute." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Can you at least tell us what the Nanabi is like?"

**"No." **Naruto threw his hands up in frustration.

"I've no idea why I bother."

Shukaku's grating, wheezy laughter echoed from Gaara's seal. **"I'll tell you about the Nanabi."**

"You will?" Naruto asked uncertainly. He exchanged a suspicious glance with Gaara. The Ichibi wasn't exactly known for handing out useful information.

**"Of course!" **Shukaku chuckled darkly. **"The Seven-Tails is a happy-go-lucky fool. At least he was when I last saw him; though that was few centuries ago, and back then we were ****_all_**** fools! Look at how Foxface and I've changed since then, who knows what he's like now!" **The One-Tail let out a thunderous, maniacal cackle.

"I apologise," Gaara said to Naruto as his demon's mad laughter faded.

"It's not your fault!" The blond exclaimed. "I know what it's like to have an assy Bijū."

Gaara's resulting smile was small, but beautifully genuine.

_-W-A-N-_

"Um, Gaara? You seeing what I'm seeing?"

Before them stood an enormous tree towering into the sky. Its thick branches curled outwards, creating a canopy so dense it cast an unbroken shadow on the surrounding ground. The thing was so huge, water cascaded from its foliage (Gaara assumed due to the rain collected in its leaves), encasing the whole area in a curtain of intermittent waterfalls. At foot of the tree, clustered around its gigantic roots, they could make out Takigakure, the Hidden Waterfall Village.

"Well, it's certainly aptly-named," Gaara said after a moment of astounded gawking (in Naruto's case that is, Gaara merely stared, impressed). "Let's go."

_-W-A-N-_

"Halt!"

The entrance gate of Taki wasn't huge but it clean. The spotless polished wood arch spoke massively of the villagers obvious pride in the place. The two guards stationed at the gate approached them, their headbands engraved with the downwards arrow of Taki.

"Hi," Naruto began.

Gaara spoke up before his companion could carry on. "We've been led to believe that the Jinchūriki of the Nanabi resides in this village?"

The guards' faces darkened. "You're here about _that? _What do you want with it?"

Naruto's cheery expression morphed frighteningly quickly and he scowled furiously. Gaara felt burning anger boil in his gut and his countenance clouded over threateningly.

"Just tell us where we can find them." Naruto glowered at the two Taki guards dangerously.

The guard on the left practically trembled. The one who'd been talking so far swallowed and her eyes darted to Gaara before landing back on Naruto, wide and fearful. "It-it lives in a tree-house on the edge of the forest to the east, just past the ring of waterfalls."

Without another word, the Jinchūrikis of the Kyūbi and Ichibi turned in the direction mentioned and walked away. The guards watched them go nervously.

"What the hell was that?" The left one floundered nervously.

"I dunno," the other replied uneasily. "But there was something odd about those two. I do know I do not want deal with them again."

_-W-A-N-_

The tree-house was small, shabbily build and sat high in the boughs of the evergreen, seemingly nestled in a bed of leaves. A rickety ledge bordered the front of the structure and a battered but relatively stable-looking door was fixed in the middle of the front wall. There was no ladder or means of getting up, as far as Naruto and Gaara could see.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" The blond asked, glancing around but seeing no signs of life.

"Unless there's another tree-house on the edge of the forest in the middle of nowhere, then it must be." Gaara replied blandly.

"Maybe they're out?"

**"No," **the Nine-Tails growled. **"I can sense the Seven-Tails nearby. His Jinchūriki is here."**

**"The fox is right."**

**"Of course I'm right!"**

"Would you two quit it?" Naruto snapped. "Can't you try and get along for five minutes?"

"Naruto!"

Gaara called out the warning suddenly, throwing sand towards his companion which hardened into a shield just before a speeding object slammed into him. The object, which turned out to be a girl with two orange insect wings sprouting from her back, drop kicked the sand barrier instead of her intended target and back-flipped through the air, landing on the ground in a defensive stance a few feet from them. The girl, who appeared a little younger than the two of them, had mint-green hair, startling orange eyes and dark skin. She regarded them warily.

"Who are you and what do you want?"


	5. And That Makes Three

**A.N. Hi! Okay, so I kinda feel the story is moving really quickly, do you guys agree? Do you not mind? I just, eh. I feel the sections are much too short - in Word they appear much longer than here (the chapters appear longer too...). Like the 'meeting Fuu' section in this chapter, I feel it moves much too fast. Your thoughts? I'd really love the chapters to be longer and awesome (like in A Wrinkle in Time, phwee, those are long chapters) but unfortunately, I am merely a young aspiring writer who has too much school work, too much writer's block, not enough patience, ability or time.**

_**Sagemodeman: **_**thanks for the awesome review as always! Really? Oh, I just looked up 'losing tracking dogs' and did a bit of research, but it wasn't massively extensive. Thanks for the info :) Yeah, I feel really sorry for Sakura, seriously - both of her boys have left her. You hit the nail on the head when you said she's gonna develop a bit of a complex. I agree that Tsunade maybe should've sent Jiraiya, and my explanation for why she didn't is beca****use she was in shock and a bit scatter-brained and she needed to discuss what had happened with with Jiraiya. Besides, at the level Naruto currently is, Kakashi probably would've thought to be enough to get him back. **

**Enjoy the chapter guys, leave me a note if there are any mistakes and don't forget to review!**

**-FlyAway**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5. <strong>

**And That Makes Three**

Blood trickled over the rocks and into the creek, pink stains blossoming in the water before being swept downriver by the current. Han wrinkled his nose at the corpse slumped in front of him and pushed it roughly aside with his foot. Huh, so Iwa was _still _sending assassins after him? He would've thought they'd have gotten the message by now, what with the amount of men they'd lost trying to kill him. It was a bit pathetic really, couldn't they take a hint and _leave him alone?_

The giant man gave the body slumped in front of him a disgusted look, then carried on making his way over the hill, leaving the Iwa-nin splayed across the rocks. Humans really were sickening.

_-W-A-N-_

"Who are you and what do you want?"

The sand barrier protecting Naruto melted away and shot back to Gaara, twisting around behind him, ready to attack. The Konoha-nin blinked as the shield that blocked his vision was removed and he stared at the girl across from him confusedly.

"Why'd you go attacking me like that?" He demanded, also bending into a fighting stance.

The girl scowled, but her fear was obvious. "I'm the one asking the questions! Who are you? What are two foreign shinobi doing at my house?"

**"That's her." **The Kyūbi said.

"What was that?" The girl asked, agitatedly glancing around. "Who said that?"

Shukaku chuckled. **"Long time no see, Seven-Tails."**

The girl's face paled and her hands shook slightly. She pulled out a battered kunai. "Who are you?" Her voice quivered. "Who's saying that?"

Gaara held out his hands steadily, trying to placate her. "We're not here to harm you. We're friends."

Her orange eyes widened and then narrowed. "I don't believe you! You're here to taunt the demon, aren't you? You're here to hurt me!"

**"Fū, calm down, it's alright."** A new voice joined, metallic and faintly resonant. **"Shukaku, Kurama, I'm surprised to see you. Especially together." **

**"Not by choice I assure you." **The Ichibi grumbled.

"Hold on, hold on." Naruto interrupted, straightening up and making a time-out sign. He looked at the green-haired girl. "You're the Jinchūriki of the Nanabi?"

The girl, who'd only relaxed a small bit at her Bijū's reassurances, eyed him and Gaara cautiously. "Yes."

"Your name is Fū?" The One-Tail host enquired, composed as ever.

"Yes."

The redhead didn't smile, but his eyes were kind. "My name is Sabaku no Gaara and I am the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail, Shukaku. My companion here is Naruto Uzumaki, he's the container of the Nine-Tails." The blond grinned broadly and waved. "We're like you."

The response was hesitant. "You're... like me?" The two boys nodded, one not-really-smiling reassuringly, the other beaming infectiously. Fū's face slowly lifted, her frown melted away and her eyes shone hopefully.

"We're here to help you." Naruto said.

"R-really?" Fū felt a dampness in her eyes. "You're really going to help me?"

"Yep!"

She blinked rapidly to try and rid herself of the tears gradually building. _Chōmei? _she questioned her beast. _Are they telling the truth? _

**"They're certainly Jinchūriki." **He said. **"And I believe they're telling the truth about wanting to help you - they seem genuine and I can't think of a reason they'd want to hurt a fellow host. I think you can trust them."**

Fū approached the two boys tentatively and smiled. "Thank you."

Naruto, if possible, grinned even wider.

"We're here to take you away from Taki, if that's alright with you." Gaara said, sadly noting how the girl's visage lit up at this information.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. We're are on a mission to gather all the Jinchūriki together, so we may protect each other, our villages and the Tailed-Beasts sealed inside us."

Fū scrunched her brow up in confusion. "What do you mean? What's gonna happen?"

"There's a powerful group of missing-nin after the Bijū," Naruto started, expression serious. "We can't let them get them: according to the Kyūbi, they'll probably extract the Bijū from the Jinchūriki so that they can have the beasts' powers for themselves; if that happens not only will the Jinchūriki die, it will mean bad news for the rest of the world. Imagine the Bijū in the hands of already really powerful missing-nin. Everyone will be in danger."

Gaara nodded. "If all nine of us join forces, we can train together and learn to harness the power of our Bijū. If we do that, we'll be able to protect each other, the Tailed-Beasts and everyone else more effectively. Hopefully."

"That's not very encouraging , Gaara."

"Well, there is a small chance this plan will flip on its head. All the Jinchūriki in one place will make it easier for the missing-nin to find and capture us. But unless they _all _- depending on their numbers - decide to come after us at once, our strength combined should be too much for a few number of them to handle, especially once we get stronger. Considering I severely doubt they foresaw us banding together, I believe our plan will prevail. They're probably not quite ready to begin collecting Bijū either, otherwise they'd have begun by now, so we should have a bit of time to prepare."

"I should have known you thought this through so thoroughly," Naruto rolled his eyes. Gaara gave his customary barely-there-smile, amused. Fū giggled quietly and the boys turned to her in surprise.

"You two are funny." She told them. The Ichibi container blinked while his companion laughed loudly.

"So, you live here?" Naruto gestured to the rundown tree-house above them. Fū glanced up, her cheeks flushing.

"Um, yes. Well you see my - my mum built it for me, before she, well..." the girl cleared her throat and sniffed, raising her chin defiantly. "Before she died. I was five so I don't remember that much about her, but I know she loved me, even when the rest of Taki hated me. After she died the village got worse, so I moved out here."

Gaara shuffled uncomfortably - while he was far from his psycho-killer days, he still felt a bit awkward when it came to social interaction, let alone comforting the clearly distressed. Luckily, Naruto had it covered. The boy strode forward, grinned his huge Naruto-grin and threw an arm over Fū's shoulders, causing the younger girl to jump.

"Hey," he said cheerfully. "We understand, something tells me most Jinchūriki'll understand, and Taki obviously doesn't deserve an awesome ninja like you if that's how they're gonna treat you."

Fū stared back at him with wide eyes. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely!"

For the first time since they'd met her, Fū smiled brilliantly.

_-W-A-N-_

Yugito had always thought of herself as patient, and it was a quality she was proud to exhibit.

But this.

_This._

Even someone as patient as she was hard pushed to keep her cool when _he just kept blabbing on and on and on._

"So are you really the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails? That must be really cool, I bet you're really powerful and stuff! Ooh! Can I see you fight? Can I, can I, can I?"

Oh Kami, she might _strangle _him. She had to admit the idea did have appeal.

"Is it true you spit fireballs? Can I see? _Pleeeeeeeeeaaaase?"_

How old was he? Five?

"_Pleeeeaaaase, _Yugito-sama! Show me some cool cat-attacks!"

She really couldn't handle this any longer. He'd been following her around for a full hour and enough was enough.

"Look, kid." She finally snapped. "I'm very busy at the moment and don't have time to show you anything. Go find Bee or something, if you're that curious. I'm sure he'd love to show you some moves."

The annoying kid's eyes grew to the size of small dinner plates. "Oh wow! Bee-sama is so cool!" With that, the kid spun on heel and raced away, practically streaming stars of pure admiration. Yugito shook her head. Hah, now he was Bee's problem. She was about to set off again towards her training grounds, when a splintering pain shot through her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks as she hunched over and grabbed at her arm. It burned down the limb and seeped into her chest, setting her lungs on fire and blazing inside her bones.

Then, as suddenly as it had flared, the pain receded and Yugito let out the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. It was happening more and more regularly; the doctor - the only person who knew about the increasingly common pain - said it was just a temporary effect of harnessing the Nibi's chakra and would pass in time. The Bijū itself was silent on the matter. Yugito desperately hoped the doctor was right, but something told her unless she and the cat could come to some sort of agreement, the pain would keep getting worse and worse until it consumed her completely.

_-W-A-N- _

"You got everything you want?" Naruto asked as Fū landed, her wings disappearing in a white poof of smoke, a small knapsack slung over her back with her mysterious red-cloth-covered cylinder tied securely onto it. She nodded, glanced back up at the building perched in the tree and then turned her back on it, a determination etching itself into her features and setting in her jaw.

"Yes."

Gaara silently took note of the Takigakure headband that remained tied around her right arm. "Should we inform Taki of your departure?" He enquired. Fū hesitated.

"No, I don't think so."

With that, the three Jinchūriki set off into the forest, the girl stopping to cast one last look over her shoulder at the gigantic tree sheltering the Village Hidden in the Waterfalls, before hurrying to catch up with the her new comrades.

-W-A-N-

Fū clasped her hands behind her back and skipped ahead, twirling around to face the two boys when she was a few feet in front of them. She grinned at them and began walking backwards.

"So where are we going now?" She leant forward slightly, eyes twinkling with the bubbly mischief she had gradually begun to display over the few hours she'd been travelling with Naruto and Gaara.

"Iwa," Gaara replied. "It's closest so it makes the most sense to head there next." He glanced at Naruto. "Which Jinchūriki did you say were there?"

The blond once again dug out the little slip of paper from his pocket and inspected it. "Four-Tails and Five-Tails."

"You guys know anything about them?" Fū tilted her head slightly to the side, short green hair swishing with it. Both Gaara and Naruto shook their heads.

"Nope," Naruto said.

"Well," the girl continued, "what about the Yonbi and Gobi? Chōmei? What are they like?"

It had been a bit of a shock to the boys to discover Fū's amiable relationship with her beast. As both of them were on less-than-friendly terms with the Bijū inside them, they had rather expected the Taki girl to be the same, but to their great shock they had found out that the Nanabi and his Jinchūriki had quite a close rapport. Fū said she had no idea how it had happened - apparently when she was young Chōmei had been silent, not particularly wanting to have any communication with the human keeping him prisoner. When her mother had died, however, he had begun to talk to her more and more, defending her from the villagers when their attacks got physical, healing her wounds and then speaking nothing of it. Eventually, their friendship had developed into what it now was - a camaraderie that had both parties rather protective of the other.

The Ichibi had snorted and loudly claimed the only reason the Seven-Tails had become friendly with his host was because he had always been an overly-caring, weak fool. The giant rhinoceros beetle had snapped angrily in reply and the two had proceeded to row, which had then degraded into a game of insult volleyball. The Nine-Tails had commented nothing, save for a derisive snort at Fū's tale.

**"When we were young, the Yonbi was always very proud. But then again, that is a trait that all we Bijū share, I suppose." **The Nanabi said in answer to Fū's question. **"As for the Gobi," **he hesitated. **"He was always quite quiet. I've no idea what they're like now though, it has been many years since I've seen any of my siblings - those two brooding over there are the first - so I don't know how they've changed, which they will have. We all have. Being treated like mindless weapons by humanity will do that to you."**

There was no more conversation after that. The Seven-Tail's last statement had given all three containers something to think about.

_-W-A-N-_

In through the nose, out through the mouth. In through the nose, out through the mouth. In... Out. In... Out.

Rōshi focused on the steady rhythm of his breathing. In, out. He felt his chakra steadily build as he gathered it up. In, out. Now. He dug deeper, deeper, deeper until he found it: the tip of a steaming, seething mass of red-hot rage. The Yonbi's chakra. In, out. It boiled, scarlet-orange and scorching. Like lava, he mused and then laughed. In, out. Next came the hard part. He'd failed countless times and would probably continue to do so, but if he didn't persevere then it would never happen at all. In, out. He tugged at it experimentally. It resisted violently, lashing out at him with blistering hot tendrils, burning his own chakra. He retracted his reach, nursing his singed mentally-created hands. In, out. He grabbed a hold of it again, ignoring the pain and his smoking palms, and _pulled._

A deafening, guttural roar nearly exploded Rōshi's eardrums. The sound was enraged; so full of fury that the man could feel it in his bones.

**"Would you stop that?" **The voice - clearly the Yonbi - boomed, ire laced through its words. **"Get out! Stop incessantly tugging on my chakra! I am not going to relinquish it to you!"**

Rōshi was silent, but didn't leave. **"I said get out!" **The Four-Tails continued. **"You're annoying most of the time, but you're almost unbearable when you do this, trying to get my chakra!"**

"I take it there's no way we could come to an agreement then, Yonbi?"

There was a low, threatening growl. **"No. And you know my name. Use it."**

The red-haired man sighed and rubbed his chin. "See you again soon then," he lifted a hand in farewell, "goodbye."

The bars of his cage rattled as the great ape shook them furiously, howling into the stillness as his Jinchūriki vanished from his mindscape.


	6. In Which Earth County Lacks Enough Trees

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not in anyway own Naruto. If I did, you really think I'd be writing fanfiction?**_

**A.N. Long time no see huh? (well, for me this is actually pretty punctual updating :s)**

**Anyway, sorry for the basically month-and-a-half wait for this chapter, it's actually been written for a while, but I've decided that I'm not going to post a chapter until the following one is complete. That's why this one took so long, I had trouble progressing the main plotline in chapter seven so I kinda skirted around it to get the chapter complete so I could post this one. Don't worry though, chapter 7 ****_does _****advance the plot so I wouldn't classify it as filler per-se, it's just that I looked at other characters that aren't Fu, Naruto, Gaara and now Roshi.**

**In other news, who went to comiccon (the London one, that is)? It was great and if you were there and saw me (not that you would have known who I was), hi! (I totally cosplayed as one of the Jinchuuriki by the way - and not Naruto -, man it awesome).**

**But anyhow, now that chapter 6 is here, enjoy! (As always, if there are any grammar/any other issues, do tell me!)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6. <strong>

**In Which Earth Country Lacks Enough Trees (for Fū and Naruto anyway)**

The border of the Land of Earth was mostly a progressive range of mountains that towered into the sky and divided the country off from its neighbours. It took the trio the better part of a day to trek through a valley between two of these mountains, following a river than rushed through it and into Earth Country. As they had progressed the forest had thinned massively, giving way to jagged rock and stone; there were still trees, but the amount of them was dramatically different than what they'd been travelling through before. When they finally made it through the pass, they were faced with miles of rocky rolling hills, canyons, mesas and numerous other rock formations they couldn't name. Clusters of foliage that differed in size were dotted here and there, adding sprinkles of green to the otherwise rather brownish-grey landscape.

"This is different," Fū announced, raising a hand to block the sun from her eyes.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed.

Gaara nodded. "It is the Land of Earth for a reason, I suppose."

"So," Fū said, turning back to her two companions. "Either of you guys know where Iwa actually is?"

_-W-A-N-_

A few hours later found them stumbling into a small wood nestled between two stray mountains. This was partly because Naruto and Fū insisted they missed trees, partly because the sun was rather hot and they needed shade and partly because they hadn't a clue where they were going anyway.

"You know," Naruto began, pushing an errant fir branch that stuck across their path out of the way. "We really should've thought of this before."

"Before what?" Gaara replied, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his monotone. "Before we ventured into the wilderness of Earth Country without any way to navigate?" Naruto poked the redhead in the arm, sticking his tongue out.

"Shut up."

Gaara rolled his eyes, amusement glinting in the depths of green.

Fū grinned. These two boys were quickly worming their way into the heart she'd kept carefully guarded for years. She didn't know how they were managing to do so so quickly, especially considering how tight she kept it under lock and key, but they _were_ doing so. She was glad, but at the same time wary - what if this was all an act? What if they really were going to hurt her? She admitted that the probability was tiny (Chōmei seemed to trust them, after all), so small it almost wasn't there. But the distrustful part in the very depths of her mind - the part that had gotten bigger and bigger with every attack by the villagers that were meant to love her - was whispering traitorous thoughts. The result was a clump of emotions swirling in her stomach that was making her feel sick. She tried to ignore it, but that was easier said than done.

"Hey, Fū, you okay? You look a little queasy."

Fū glanced up and met the worried eyes of Naruto and Gaara. The blond leaned in close and put a hand on her forehead. Fū jumped and stumbled backwards.

"Personal space, Naruto." Gaara said. The blond rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and the Ichibi container turned back to Fū. "You do look ill. Are you feeling alright?"

The concern in their eyes was so genuine, she realised. They actually _cared_ about her. A strange, warm feeling blossomed in her chest and crept through her body until her fingers and toes tingled pleasantly. She couldn't stop the smile that stretched across her face, not that she really wanted to.

"Yes," she told them, something prickling at her eyes. "I'm great."

Gaara nodded and resumed walking. Naruto grinned at her. "Good," he said and bounded after their red-haired companion. The smile remained plastered on her face and something damp trailed down her cheek. She reached up and smudged it with a finger. Oh. She was crying.

**"I think we'll be okay, Fū." **Chomei said reassuringly. **"Things are starting to look up."**

Fū nodded, the taste of salt dripping onto her tongue as her tears rolled into her smile. _I think you're right, Chomei. _She replied. _I think this is the start of something amazing._

_-W-A-N-_

His heart raced as he ducked into a nearby alleyway and flattened himself against the wall. The Kiri-nin that were chasing him rushed past the entrance of the alley, clothing smoking and singed, skin littered with burns. He felt guilt twang at his heart; his acid and alkali bubbles had done that. He shoved the feeling down into the twisted pit of subdued emotions in his stomach: he had to become ruthless if he was to survive as a lone missing-nin. He waited a few moments, before creeping out and glancing up and down the street, scouring for any more of his pursuers. Finding the area clear, he slunk out of the alley and began to make his way out of the small town: Kiri had caught up to him and it was time to leave - make a quick escape into the forest and continue on. He secured his bubble-blower in his kimono and hurried on, checking continually over his shoulder for following nin.

He'd always loved bubbles, Utakata mused as he left the town and made for the cover of trees. Ever since he was a child the things had fascinated him; they were so perfectly spherical and had that iridescent sheen that had left him mesmerized as a kid. It was large part of the reason he'd been so set and excited to learn his bubble jutsu. No one else he'd ever met used bubbles as weapons like he did. His sensei had teased him about his love of the things, but had helped him through all his research and practise and all those times he just couldn't get it until he'd developed his own bubble-centred fighting style.

No, he would not think about that man. It was best to stay clear of any thoughts of him, lest the emotions claw their way through the barrier he was slowly building around them. The hurt and betrayal was so raw it writhed constantly inside him - trying not to think about it helped dull the pain, so that's what he'd do. He'd keep doing it until he couldn't feel it anymore. Until he couldn't feel anything.

_-W-A-N-_

The Fouth Mizukage felt like he'd been sat on repeatedly by something very large and heavy. A rhythm thumped against the inside of his skull and his entire body ached terribly. The small of his back - the location of his seal - was on fire. He tried to open his eyes, lifting his lids slowly, but as he did bright sunlight flooded his vision. He quickly squeezed his burning eyes shut and raised shaky hands to cover them. Ow.

What had happened? Where was he? He clawed desperately for the memories, but most of them were fuzzy. He remembered being chased, hounded by Hunter-nin and shot in the shoulder with a senbon. He remembered the nin asking him to come quietly and to... put on chakra restraints? Yes, that was it. He'd begun to obey and then - nothing. His memory blurred and went blank. The only thing he could vaguely recall was a voice? It was loud - very loud - and angry...

Oh.

Isobu.

What had he done?

Yagura uncovered his eyes and squinted them open narrowly, getting them accustomed to the change of brightness, and then opened them fully. They watered a little and the pounding in his head increased but the burning, stinging pain was absent. It wasn't even that bright, he realised. The sunlight that had assailed him originally was actually a gentle spattering of gold that filtered through the leaves above him. He was about to try to coax his aching body to sit up when he smelt it.

Blood.

It was a the unmistakable scent that had always been familiar to him. As a child growing up in the 'Village of Bloody Mist', he'd known the smell of blood since he was a baby. It soaked everything during the reign of the Sandaime: practically ran rivers down the streets. He'd gone through the graduation ceremony of Bloody Mist. He'd had to murder his classmates. He would never forget the sharp, metallic odour of the fresh blood that sloshed around his feet and coated every inch of his skin. That was the moment he had vowed to become Mizukage, to end the horror of the Bloody Mist. Of course, that hadn't happened.

Dread pooling inside him, he sat up and cast his gaze across the clearing. Had he not been so acclimatized to it, the sight before him would've risen bile in his throat.

It was the Hunter-nin. Or, what was left of them anyway. They lay strewn about, some in bits, limbs twisted at unnatural angles, crimson staining their tattered uniforms, guts slashed, faces frozen in glassy-eyed expressions of terror.

Yagura averted his gaze and once again squeezed his eyes shut, dampness gathering behind his closed lids and leaking out, trickling down his cheeks.

**"You've become weak."**

His reply came out hoarse but heated. "Silence, Isobu. This is your doing."

**"Yagura," **the giant turtle rumbled. **"They would've killed you. I saved both our hides."**

Anger boiled in the young man's gut. "That is not a reason to slaughter them like animals! I've already done enough of that! I deserve my fate."

The rage that the Bijū suddenly radiated was startling. **"No, you do not. Stop disparaging yourself and do something. I refuse to let you go out with such a unfavourable, weak attitude. I will not let you bring me down with you with this self-deprecating outlook. Find this man that controlled you, show him the wrath of the Sanbi and the Yondiame Mizukage. Help your village. Don't give up and let your life end so short and sour."**

Yagura was silent. More tears escaped and rolled down his face. The lump in his throat forced his breaths out as a quiet sobs. He gripped his face in hands and hunched forward, the decapitated bodies of his old subordinates scattered around him, ground soaked scarlet with their blood.

_-W-A-N-_

Rōshi dipped his cupped hands into the stream and splashed the cool water in his face. Ah, that felt better. He drank a few handfuls before sitting back against the stony bank and closing his eyes. A nap wouldn't be a bad idea, he decided. He _had_ spent all morning training and damn were his muscles tired. He was just beginning to drift off when the hairs on the back of his neck rose sharply and goosebumps erupted along his arms. He froze.

Behind him, a twig snapped.

In a second, Rōshi was on his feet and bent into a defensive stance, senses alert for any sign of movement.

From the bushes at the top of the dell emerged a small doe, delicate hooves daintily making their way across the grass. She stopped and raised large brown eyes to Rōshi. The man and the animal made eye contact for a few moments - the creature quivering, Rōshi silent in awe - before another snap from the trees behind her caused the deer to skitter and the red-haired man to jump and return to full alert mode.

"Aw, Naruto! You scared it off!"

The loud voice of a young girl drifted down to Rōshi's ears. Huh, didn't sound like they were after him, if the girl's age and volume were any indicator. That wasn't definite proof however, and it never hurt to be cautious. He did not drop his guard

His seal suddenly heated up to an unpleasant degree. _Yonbi?_

There was no reply - not that there ever was, the four-tailed monkey hardly ever spoke - but the Iwa-nin could feel the Bijū's surprise and... hate? He reached out with his senses and what he found shocked him.

Chakra.

Enormous amounts of chakra.

As in _so massive it was almost unreal. _Very similar to the Four-Tail's in many aspects, save for the fact that the amount he sensed was much larger than even the monkey's vast supply and seemed to be divided between three people. _Yonbi!_

"Who are you?" Rōshi's attention snapped right back to reality. Standing above him on the dell bank were three young kids: a blond, way-too-brightly-dressed boy; a stoic-faced redhead of the same age and a green-haired girl possibly slightly younger than the other two. They were all eyeing him warily, bodies tense, ready to fight or flee.

**"He's the Four-Tails's container."**

Rōshi gave a small jolt of surprise. Where had that come from? The new voice was nothing like his tenant's - it was metallic and almost echoey - but at the same time held a certain similarity. The three kid's eyes widened in shock. A large smile crept over the blond's face.

The red-haired boy raised his non-existent eyebrows. "How convenient." He said in a disconcerting monotone. The blond let out a laugh. The girl was smiling, but had a sort of nervous caginess about her.

"Are you sure, Chōmei?" She said.

**"Oh, don't worry, he's right." **Came another disembodied voice, this one gravelly and harsh. **"I don't remember you being this quiet, Yonbi."**

To Rōshi's disbelief, the ape spoke_. _**"Shukaku, Chōmei." **He paused. **"Kurama."**

The blond kid frowned. "Kurama?" He asked, looking almost as confused as Rōshi felt. There was a menacing growl.

**"You'd do well to hold your tongue, Four-Tails."**

The statement was spoken with so much malice, shivers raced down the Yonbi container's spine. This voice was sonorous and irate, but Rōshi felt there was another, under-laying anger in it that went deeper than that on the surface.

**"Why are you here?" **The Yonbi continued, saying nothing more in reply to 'Kurama's' warning. **"And together? I would never have thought you three would team up." **Rōshi couldn't recall a time when his Bijū had ever been this talkative.

**"We didn't exactly plan this," **said the metallic voice - Chōmei, the girl had called it.

"Anyone feel like filling me in here?" Rōshi said, fed up of being out of the loop. He thought he knew who and what these people were, but still, it would be nice to be properly informed.

The boy with the dark rings around his eyes spoke up. "Apologies. I am Sabaku no Gaara, Jinchūriki of Shukaku, the Ichibi. These are Naruto Uzumaki and Fū, containers of the Kyūbi and Nanabi."

Rōshi stared. He'd suspected as much (what with the disembodied voices and all) but to actually hear it... To be honest, the thought of meeting his fellow Bijū containers had occurred to him in the past, but he'd never pursued it beyond that - a fleeting idea. Now people who shared his burden were in front of him. The blond boy - Naruto - was grinning at him: an impossibly big, contagious smile stretched across his face. The girl, whose name he now knew to be Fū, was still coiled in an aura of caution, but the tentative smile she offered him was bright and genuine. Gaara's face was impassive, his green eyes studying him carefully, but there was no ill-will in them, instead something welcoming, open, accepting.

These three kids he'd never met stood before him, carrying the same weight as he, so _young _yet so _hopeful. _

He didn't know what to say.

So he swallowed, smiled and raised a weathered brown hand. "Rōshi, Jinchūriki of the Yonbi. It's lovely to meet you all."


End file.
